Verda Mae Pugh
December 26, 2012
Three silent films, with live music
January 2, 2013
I spoke last year about my irresistible attraction to reading (and strong revulsion of making) year-end lists. I have now read only about 35% of such lists available on the web and in print (and that topped 100 in number) and girded my loins to write this, my list.
A few general thoughts first: While the music “industry” continued its decline in sales, there was no shortage of available product. As long as the muse beckons budding artists and as long as young adolescent (mostly) males want a short cut to wooing, such will be the case. Apparently. But I wonder how many more potential musicians have given up and taken day jobs since the web conquered all.
Pop music was less homogenous than usual, with Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen keeping the young girls happy, and the likes of Mumford and Sons and Fun. motivating the young adult masses. From “Gangnam Style” or Lana Del Rey, there was no shortage of attention-grabbing one-shot wonders (as in, wonder how they get so many people’s attention at all?).
R&B took major strides, with Frank Ocean’s frank admission of his sexuality mysteriously coming two weeks before his really excellent release “Channel Orange” and Miguel’s “Kaleidoscope Dream” making the world safe for sheer fun in the boudoir.
Country stayed buoyant with Ms. Swift still considered a part of the scene and the likes of Blake Shelton, Little Big Town and Luke Bryan putting out mega-selling products. It also didn’t hurt that “Nashville,” the TV show, scored big.
Indie rock grew not-so-small with its alternative universe expanding as much as the real one seemingly does. Americana and roots rock were well represented also (as will be seen below in my list thick with this genre.) Hip-hop/rap had major releases by Killer Mike, Kendrick Lamar and El-P score big at the box office, as well as with critics.
And so, my favorite CDs of the year, scientifically collated with the help of iTunes and its manually expanded “Recently added” playlist and (number of) “plays.” Then sorted out by me, non-scientifically. As I alluded to above, it’s dominated by my taste for roots-flavored stuff, and it was done with a willful dedication to my own view and an ignoring of the critical consensus found at such masterful compilation spots as www.metacritic.com and www.largeheartedboy.com.
1) Dr. John, Locked Down – in which the good Doctor gets an emotional and spiritual lift from Dan Auerbach, who roughs up Mac’s rounded edges.
2) Kelly Hogan, I Like to Keep Myself in Pain — in-the-zone, in-the-pocket, on-the-one – whatever cliché works for you, she’s crushed it here. She takes songs written specially for her, assembles a crack band and hits it in the cheap seats.
3) First Aid Kit, The Lion’s Roar — two Scandinavian sisters make beautiful harmony and probably the best song of the year, “Emmylou.”
4) Chuck Prophet, Temple Beautiful — Prophet’s paean to his hometown, San Francisco; great songs, great execution, as usual.
5) Howlin’ Rain, The Russian Wilds — these hippie heathens from Oregon rock out, with echoes of Trapeze and such.
6) Kevn Kinney and the Golden Palominos, A Good Country Mile — Drivin’ N’ Cryin’s lead vocalist snarls and spits out a country-rockin’ winner with the help of some New York pals.
7) Quantic and Alice Russell, Look Around the Corner — this year’s revelation. Quantic is a producer who hooked up with Russell, who’s an English neo-soul chick of a certain age, and they collaborate here with a Columbian band and make some beautiful noise. And they led me to
8) The Bamboos, Medicine Man — who are some Aussies with five-or-six albums under their belt. Kick-ass soul and funk with guest vocalists like Ms. Russell and somebody named Kylie Auldist. Great stuff.
9) Bonnie Raitt, Slipstream — goddess. Her albums have taken on a predictable pattern over the years, with a few rockers, a Randall Bramlett tune, a couple of heartbreakers and a curveball thrown in. But as a goddess, she bestows her blessings on us mortals as she sees fit. Her collaboration with Bill Frisell and Joe Henry’s house band yielded another “not-a-dry-eye-in-the-house” showstopper, “You Can’t Fail Me Now.” Like I heard Allen Toussaint say during a radio interview when asked how he felt sharing the stage with her, “I want to marry her.”
10) Heartless Bastards, Arrow — the lead singer Erika Wennerstrom fires her band, gets a new one and produces her best.
11) Justin Townes Earle, Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me — relaxed, dour, winking odes to losing, with Memphis horns.
12) Lee Fields, Faithful Man — making soul music like the masters.
13) Jimmy Owens, The Monk Project/ Eric Reed, The Baddest Monk —two variations on the maestro, the first traditional, the second irreverent; both swinging homages, both very listenable.
14) The Dirty Projectors, Swing Lo, Magellan — indie rock (never was there a genre so logical, necessary and boring) that is deeply weird and very good. David Longstreth is a real talent.
15) The Hobart Brothers & Lil Sis Hobart, At Least We have Each Other — Jon Dee Graham, Freedy Johnston and Susan Cowsill get together to make rueful songs about not making it, while obviously having a ball.
16) ZZ Top, La Futura— duh.
17) Shovels and Rope, O, Be Joyful — boy and girl on equal footing, with fiery (and expected) results.
18) Dwight Yoakum, 3 Pears — glad to have him back, reinvigorated.
19) Jamey Johnson, Living For a Song — o-o-oh, country weepers and kiss-my-ass goodbye songs, done with loving care.
20) Gary Clark, Jr., Black and Blu – the new baddass makes his debut.
Honorable Mentions (in no order): Hurray for the Riff Raff, Look Out, Mama; Alabama Shakes, Boys & Girls; J.D. McPherson, Signs & Signifiers; Bettye LaVette, Thankful N’Thoughtful; Oddisee, People Hear What They See; Michael Kiwanuka, Home Again; Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires, There is a Bomb in Gilead; Menomena, Moms; Vintage Trouble, The Bomb Shelter Sessions; David Byrne and St. Vincent, Love This Giant; Cat Power, Sun…et cetera in almost in finitum…
By any account, it was a very decent year, and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next.
– Dave Norman is a local attorney who has been smitten with music since he could hear his first transistor radio turned to WTIX, and is thankful for his ability to share his love with you.
Dr. John plays Billboard Live – Tokyo. The Good Doctor’s latest album “Locked Down” was the twinkle of many critical eyes, including those of Gumbo Entertainment Guide columnist Dave Norman, who called i the best album of 2012.
“I Like to Keep Myself in Pain”
“The Lion’s Roar”
“Temple Beautiful”
“The Russian Wilds”
